Leadership & Learning w/Dr. JBT

Episode Summary Leadership isn't about keeping your light to yourself; it's about helping others shine. In this solo episode, Dr. Jamie Brownlee-Turgeon explores the simple yet powerful quote: "A candle loses nothing by lighting another." Using this metaphor as a foundation, she examines why recognition is one of the most overlooked and most impactful leadership practices. Drawing on the research...

Episode Summary In this special Father's Day episode, Dr. JBT is joined by her husband, Dr. Paul Turgeon, for one of the most personal conversations ever recorded on the Leadership and Learning Podcast. Together, they pay tribute to their fathers — both of whom have passed away — and reflect on the leadership lessons passed down through presence, example, and the way two men lived their lives. Thi...

"When the wind is strong, some people seek shelter. Others build windmills." That one proverb is the foundation of this episode. Dr. JBT unpacks what it means to face adversity as a leader. And how the most resilient, innovative leaders don't just endure the hard seasons, they find a way to use them. This episode is for every leader navigating uncertainty, pressure, or disruption right now and won...

Episode Summary Every leader faces the moment when the current path isn't working. Do you stay the course or change direction? Pivot too soon and you abandon something that just needed more time. Pivot too late and you've wasted months or years on something that was never going to work. In this episode, Dr. JBT breaks down both failure modes, shares real-world examples of pivots gone wrong, and of...

  Episode Summary What happens when you bring an entire division together to learn, connect, and invest in each other? In this personal reflection episode, Dr. JBT shares five leadership lessons from Summit — an all-hands gathering that reminded her what great culture looks and feels like when you get it right. From rap songs to real vulnerability, these aren't theories from a book. They're moment...

Episode Summary As leaders, we're wired to solve problems. It's how we got here. But what if that instinct is quietly holding our teams back? In this episode, we explore one of the most powerful shifts a leader can make: moving from solving to asking. You'll walk away with practical coaching questions you can use immediately to develop your team, build their confidence, and free yourself from bein...

Episode Summary When everything is changing at once, leaders often focus on managing the logistics of change: the timelines, the rollout plans, the communication strategies. But what your team needs most isn't a better plan. They need to feel heard. In this episode, we explore a simple but powerful approach to leading your team through multiple changes at once, one that starts with a single questi...

🎙️ Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT Designing Onboarding That Actually Works with Lindsay Powell In this episode, I sit down with Lindsay Powell, Manager of Learning & Development, to unpack one of the most underestimated leadership levers in any organization: onboarding. What quickly becomes clear in this conversation is that onboarding is not an event; it's a signal. A signal about culture. Ab...

Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of HR with Joe Baffa — Part 2 In this second part of my conversation with Joe Baffa, we move beyond frameworks and into the realities of leadership—where culture, judgment, and character shape outcomes far more than policies or processes ever could. What stands out most in this conversation is Joe's unwavering focus on the human side of leadership. Whether w...

Leadership Lessons from the Front Lines of HR with Joe Baffa - Part 1 In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT , I sit down with Joe Baffa to discuss his new book, XR: A Real and Sometimes Humorous, and Somewhat Irreverent Look at Human Resources . Joe brings decades of experience across industries, and he doesn't hold back. This conversation pulls back the curtain on the real world o...

We talk about ethical leadership often, but it's not defined in the obvious moments. It's revealed in the gray. In this episode, Dr. JBT uses a framework from Gary Yukl ( Leadership in Organizations ) to break down eight practical criteria that distinguish ethical leadership from unethical leadership through everyday decisions, not just intentions. The 8 Criteria of Ethical Leadership: Power & Inf...

In Part 2 of this conversation with Dr. Turgeon , we dive deeper into one of the most critical elements of effective leadership during difficult seasons: communication . When organizations face crisis, uncertainty, or rapid change, leadership is tested in profound ways. Yet many crises are not worsened by the event itself, they are worsened by how leaders communicate, respond, and create (or fail...

Crisis Leadership — Leading Before, During, and After the Storm (with Dr. Paul Turgeon) Crisis doesn't create leadership; it reveals it. In this episode, Dr. JBT interviews Dr. Paul Turgeon about what it truly means to lead when stakes are high and uncertainty is real. Early in the conversation, Paul defines crisis,  distinguishing it from normal operational stress. A crisis is a disruptive event...

🎙️ Crisis Leadership  Crises are inevitable. The real question is whether you're prepared when they arrive. In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT, Dr. Jamie Brownlee-Turgeon explores what it means to lead through disruption — not with heroics, but with discipline. Drawing on the research of Dr. James and Dr. Wooten, authors of Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Befo...

In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT , Dr. Jamie Brownlee-Turgeon reflects on an early leadership experience that reshaped how she understands change. What began as a seemingly simple workflow adjustment—changing how a team managed a shared email inbox—quickly unraveled into confusion, frustration, and resistance. The logic of the change was sound, but the outcome was not. Why? Be...

Today's conversation is part 2 with Sharon Ayala, a leader who doesn't shy away from the  real work of leading change. Sharon has stepped into complex environments where expectations are high, priorities are competing, and the pace is relentless. And she's honest about what that actually feels like. In this conversation, Sharon shares openly about the challenges leaders face when everything feels...

Leading Change Through Listening: Building Trust, Buy-In, and Collaboration Special Guest: Sharon Ayala , Vice President for Marketing, Abilene Christian University Change rarely fails because of strategy. It fails because of misalignment, lack of trust, and leaders moving too fast without truly listening. In this episode of Leadership & Learning , Dr. JBT sits down with Sharon Ayala, Vice Preside...

Book Recommendation: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith In this episode of  Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT , I explore key insights from What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith —a powerful reminder that the behaviors that helped us rise as leaders can quietly limit our impact at the next level. Rather than focusing on competence or credentials, this...

As leaders, we often measure growth by outcomes - titles, achievements, and wins we can point to. But real leadership growth rarely feels linear. More often, it happens in the uncomfortable space between who we were and who we are becoming. In this reflective year-end episode, Dr. JBT introduces the practice of reflecting forward —looking back with honesty, not to dwell, but to learn and lead with...

In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT, we unpack one of the four "I's" of transformational leadership: Intellectual Stimulation. This practice isn't about proving you're the smartest person in the room; it's about creating the environment where the best thinking can emerge. When leaders dominate conversations or rush to provide answers, teams quickly retreat. Ideas fade. Innovation...

In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT , we explore one of the most powerful frameworks for elevating leadership beyond task management — The Four I's of Transformational Leadership : Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration. If you've ever wondered how to inspire deeper commitment, strengthen culture, or fuel real cha...

Legacy Isn't an Event; It's a Daily Choice In this episode of Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT, we explore a question every leader should ask: What legacy am I building...today? Inspired by the retirement celebration of John, a colleague and friend whose leadership has exemplified humility, consistency, and deeply lived values, this episode examines how the small choices we make each day shape t...

In this episode, Dr. JBT explores one of the most overlooked and most powerful dimensions of leadership: lateral influence. New leaders often focus on leading their direct reports. But as you rise through the organization, your success depends less on positional authority and more on your ability to collaborate, align, and build trust with your peers. Dr. JBT unpacks why leading across is just as...

Episode: The Gratitude Gap — Why Leaders Forget to Express It & How We Close It In this Thanksgiving-week episode of Leadership & Learning , Dr. Jamie Brownlee-Turgeon explores what she calls the Gratitude Gap —the distance between what leaders feel and what they actually express. As the holiday season fills our schedules and drains our emotional bandwidth, even the most appreciative leaders can u...

When Words Cross a Line In this episode of  Leadership & Learning with Dr. JBT, Jamie shares two powerful leadership stories — one she wishes she could redo and one she's proud of — both centered around how to handle moments when someone says something inappropriate, rude, or disrespectful in the workplace. These moments can catch any leader off guard. Do you address it immediately? Do you let it...